1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for adapting a frequency plan based on location of the GPS receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of GPS in consumer products has become commonplace. Hand-held devices used for mountaineering, automobile navigation systems, and GPS for use with cellular telephones are just a few examples of consumer products using GPS technology.
GPS-enabled devices, such as cellular telephones, have also been introduced into the consumer marketplace. These devices allow for the use of Location-Based Services (LBS) which are services, advertisements, and other features that are offered based on the location of the user. As such, GPS-enabled devices are used worldwide.
The use of the frequency spectrum in the United States, and in other countries, is typically very tightly controlled by the government. However, the frequency allotments for telephone use, radio navigation, etc. are allocated differently, and thus, devices that operate in their own frequency band in one country may have to share that frequency band with other devices in other countries. As such, when a GPS-enabled device is brought from one country to another, the operability of such a device may be less than desirable.
It can be seen, then, that there is a need in the art to make GPS-enabled devices operable in countries with various frequency spectrum allocations.